"Downton Abbey" has become a much-loved hit in both the United Kingdom and across the pond in the U.S. -- so just how long can the drama be on the air? Another six seasons, according to executive producer
Gareth Neame.

Neame
tells the New York Daily News, "I think it is going to go on for a while. Right now the show is still growing in the U.S. and it would be awful to think of the show ending."

"I would rather let the show run between four and 10 years, I imagine," he says, but adds that they need to pick the right moment to end.

"I would rather that we picked the right year [to end] and that in 20 years time the show was loved, rather than we went on a season too long and people fell out of love with it," says Neame.

He does say that part of the recipe for success is the show's creator and writer
Julian Fellowes.

"I dread that day when there might be a time we might bring a couple of other writers into that process. We have been very fortunate and a key part of the show's success is Julian. He invented all the characters and every word they say and that has got to be part of the success of the show," says Neame. "I hope to keep him for as long as we possibly can. What Julian does is unique."